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Ludlow Man Pleads Guilty To Child Sexual Exploitation Charges

BOSTON - A Ludlow man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Springfield today to child exploitation charges.

James Pease, 35, pleaded guilty to four counts of sexual exploitation of a child, receipt of child pornography, and possession of child pornography. In March 2013, Pease was indicted. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 5, 2014.

During 2010 and 2012, Pease surreptitiously recorded minor females while they showered. From 2006 to 2012, Pease also received and possessed child pornography which he obtained from the Internet.

Pease faces a statutory mandatory minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in prison on the charge of sexual exploitation of a child; a statutory mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of 20 years in prison on the charge of receipt of child pornography; and a statutory maximum of 10 years on the charge of possession of child pornography. Additionally, Pease faces a minimum of five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.

United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz and Leigh Alistair Barzey, Resident Agent in Charge of the Department of Defense’s Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, made the announcement. The case is being prosecuted by Alex Grant of Ortiz’s Springfield Branch Unit.

The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.